


"Noble Sacrifice"

by GaHoolianGirl



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Humor, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dorothea is the saint of knocking sense into people, F/F, Ferdie is only actually present for one spoken line and Edie never shows up, Heart-to-Heart, Hubert is an asshole but he's working on that, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, So I'm not tagging them but they are both integral to the story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:15:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22275439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaHoolianGirl/pseuds/GaHoolianGirl
Summary: “That’s absolute horsehit Hubie!” Dorothea rose to slam her hands down on the desk in a rare display of profanity and anger that sowed Hubert's mouth shut tight, "Do you know the only way not to hurt someone? To never know them! Just by the sheer act of knowing someone closely you've hurt them at some point! That’s just how life works!” her eyes narrowed, “But if you just abandon them without a word you're even worse. You can never be happy until you accept this, move on, and apologize. Has this ‘noble sacrifice’ of yours really brought you any happiness, or has it just made the both of you suffer?”This surprised him, “Lady Edelgard has-?”“Almost dismissed me for my own safety? At the beginning, I wouldn’t have been able to count every attempt she made. But I told her the same thing I’m telling you now, Hubie. Pushing people away for what you insist is their sake is more likely just to protect your own heart, and accomplishes nothing but creating more pain.”
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Edelgard von Hresvelg, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80





	"Noble Sacrifice"

**Author's Note:**

> Would you believe me if I said this started off as Dorothea _comforting_ Hubie? But someone in a server I'm in pointed out the angst possiblities (untintentionally, sorry bud lmao) and the tone drastically shifted. For the better, I think.

There were very few people who had unbidden access to the offices of Hubert von Vestra; obviously, the Emperor herself, the Prime Minister Ferdinand...but it was a little known fact that the Emperor's wife was included among that number.

In truth, once Dorothea von Hrsevelg had made a decision, there was no use in denying her, even by him.

"Hubie?" she said in lieu of a proper greeting as she cracked open the door and slipped inside his honestly rather dreary office. He looked up from his papers in acknowledgement, weighing his options of how to address this situation. He could dismiss her, risking her and Edelgard's wrath, or he could humor her and deal with the frankly uncomfortable conversation he knew was to follow.

Considering the topic of that discussion, he truly did not know which was worse.

Sighing, he dabbed the rest of the ink off his quill and laid it off to the side, "What is it you require, Imperial _Consort_ to her Majesty _Emperor_ Edelgard?" His tone left no room for doubt which of those two names held greater importance.

Her voice, as melodic as ever, dripped heavy with venom, "Is that the same way you pushed Ferdinand away, Hubert? Trying to get him where it hurts so he'll leave you alone to wallow?"

Hubert's teeth ground together in a grimace, and he said nothing as she sat in the chair by the front of his desk, eyes daring him to challenge her like that again. After a moment of tense silence, she began examining her nails like she hadn't a care in the world, not even making eye contact with him as she spoke, "We both know why I'm here, Hubie dear. Poor Ferdie is beside himself, even more so than when Argento died in _Saturio_.”

“He believed he deserved redemption and that he truly regretted his actions...” Hubert muttered into his fist, pointedly ignoring the eyebrow Dorothea raised at him.

“Let me get straight to my point. What did you say to him?”

“Why are you so certain that it is I that am the cause?”

“He whispers your name under his breath every five minutes when he thinks no one is listening, and he’s been carrying one of your gloves in his pocket for days. It wasn’t exactly hard to connect the dots, Hubie.”

“Ah,” he swallowed thickly, tugging at his lapel.

“Precisely. While Ferdie might be a bit of a drama queen about it all, and we may not have always gotten along, I know when someone has had their heart broken by someone they love. Which is exactly what’s going on with him. What did you say?”

The way his heart pounded in his chest was far too distracting for his liking- it was illogical to deny the obvious, erm, connection, he had with von Aegir, but to hear it described as _love_ so plainly by another made blood pump fast and hot. It was this exact damnable feeling that had lead to his...harsh words towards the other. 

“I simply said that in this tumultuous time neither of us could afford any distractions at the moment. Nothing more.”

She scoffed at him, deepening his scowl, “You really expect me to believe that? If that’s _really_ what you had said, maybe he would be a bit sad, not wailing while roaming the halls like the spirit of a bride left at the altar!”

Hubert bit his lip, unsure of whether or not he could even admit to _himself_ what he had actually said. You couldn’t become the man he had by regretting every small action you took, but even he could acknowledge that what he said to Ferdinand was a deliberate attempt to hurt the other. With a sharp intake of breath and a look so vulnerable Dorothea’s eyes widened, he began again.

“We were having a heated debate about the allocation of some of the war relief funds. Nothing of any true importance, both locations were to get the money eventually, it was a simple matter of when. Once we concluded...”

_“That is as settled as it shall be before the official meeting on it,” Ferdinand shook his head, flipping his long, meticulously cared for hair over his shoulder, “In the meantime would you perchance enjoy to take tea with me, Hubert?”_

_“In the garden?”_

_“Ah,” Ferdinand’s cheeks warmed handsomely, and he wrung out his hands, “In my personal quarters, if you would be amenable. I have some things I wish to tell you...privately.”_

_He really shouldn’t ask, here._

_“Of what nature?”_

_The Prime Minister started, “Oh,” he laughed nervously, “It really is for your ears only.”_

_Hubert only raised an eyebrow._

_“You...really do not know?”_

**_I do know_ ** _, he wished to scream at the top of lungs, but he bit his tongue. He wasn’t ready to hear this, he couldn’t hear this. He could only imagine scenarios of Ferdinand regretting his decisions mere moments after he made it and properly rejecting Hubert for the monster he was, unfit to sully the noble’s hands._

_So he chose to make the hard choice for him._

_“I can imagine nothing you could have to say to me that could not be said in an official capacity, Minister. Our time is very valuable, and should not be wasted on trivialities. And I have no wish to hear it regardless. I shall see you at the meeting.”_

_He turned on his heels and left, not needing to see to know the hurt that must adorn the other’s perfect face. It was going to be done eventually, best it to be now rather than later, lest he hurt him even worse down the line._

_The own pain in his chest did not matter._

The look Dorothea was giving him in response to his tale could have felled the Immaculate One, Those Who Slither In The Dark, and any other enemy on the spot. Crossing her arms, her tone could not be any more disbelieving, “You really turned him down like that on the _assumption_ that he’d probably get hurt sometime later?” 

“All the signs-”

“That’s absolute horsehit Hubie!” she rose to slam her hands down on the desk in a rare display of profanity and anger that sowed his mouth shut tight, "Do you know the only way not to hurt someone? To never know them! Just by the sheer act of knowing someone closely you've hurt them at some point! That’s just how life works!” her eyes narrowed, “But if you just abandon them without a word you're even worse. You can _never_ be happy until you accept this, move on, and apologize. Has this ‘noble sacrifice’ of yours really brought you any happiness, or has it just made the both of you suffer?”

His silence answered all, and she sunk back into her seat, fury still written over her expression, “It shouldn’t have to fall to me to knock sense into you like this, but you and Edie both have a martyr complex like no other at times.”

This surprised him, “Lady Edelgard has-?”

“Almost dismissed me for my own safety? At the beginning, I wouldn’t have been able to count every attempt she made. But I told her the same thing I’m telling you now, Hubie. Pushing people away for what you insist is their sake is more likely just to protect your own heart, and accomplishes nothing but creating more pain.”

“Protecting myself...” pinching his temple, he released a shuddering breath, “I need time to think about all of this. However...” his entire being softened, “You have my thanks, and my apologies.”

With a sigh equally fond and admonishing, she waved his gratitude off, “None needed, so long as you make the right choice. I think Edie is close to ordering Ferdie’s banishment if he mopes about in her presence for another minute, so whatever it is you chose, do it soon.”

They shared a quiet laugh, and the atmosphere lightened several degrees, Dorothea taking her leave of him.

Taking up his quill once more, and pulling out a fresh piece of parchment, Hubert began to write, mind finally clear.

* * *

“I thought we had nothing that needed to be said in a private capacity,” the resentment in Ferdinand’s voice rung clear like a bell and was completely earned.

“Perhaps not, but I thought an apology- and the truth- might qualify.”

The smile on Ferdinand’s face when Hubert grabbed his hand was brighter than any sun, and made any future blunder and pain (and subsequent apology) more worth it than any amount of gold on the planet.•

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought! If you can't tell from my last couple of Ferdibert fics as well as this one, I have a Thing for writing Hubert 1) not really knowing how to talk to other human beings in a normal way, 2) interpreting showing love as sacrifice since he only knows how to show affection in a servile fashion, and 3) having those who care about him show him, not always kindly, that all of that is a croc of shit.


End file.
